One More Night
by justadream666z
Summary: A story about how one night can change everything. Sounds lame but who knows, it might be cool : ) Loosely based on the Aria/Ezra storyline from Pretty Little Liars. Oneshot for now : )
1. Chapter 1

_**Something new : )**_

_**Based loosely on the Ezria storyline from Pretty Little Liars.**_

_**At the request of Crazywoobie**_

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**Jade's POV**

"Cat, if you walk any slower, I'm leaving you behind," Tori called behind us. We were keeping a brisk pace in the main hallway of Hollywood Arts, trying to make it on time to our first class of the school year. Cat, on the other hand, was more concerned with the amusing lights that lit up on her new sneakers as she steeped.

"No!" She whined and looked up from the floor, moving a bit faster. I glanced down at my phone to update my status on The Slap and followed blindly as Tori led the way. Our first class was in a new building that was just added to the school, which is why we'd gotten lost and were late. It was a bad idea to follow Cat's initial instructions; they led to a shady janitor's closet.

"Jade, I'll leave you too!" Tori warned and I looked up to see I was now a few paces behind them.

"No, you won't," I said to my phone as I scrolled through pictures from last night. Tori looked back to roll her yes at me but slowed down a bit.

I swiped through my pear phone yet again, still hoping I'd somehow managed to snap a picture of the anonymous man from the night before. Picture after picture, though, and I couldn't even catch a glimpse of his arm, let alone his face. Which is a total shame because it was such a nice face. Cute in an obvious way, but kind in a subtle way, especially around his eyes.

"Cat," I called ahead as we turned a corner. "Are you sure you sent me all the pictures from yesterday?"

"Mmm hmm," She nodded and flipped her red hair back a bit. "I sent you everything, why?"

"Just…wondering," I mumbled as I kept scrutinizing my pictures.

"She's just looking for a picture of that mystery boy she took off with ," Tori's tone was playful, but I hated being teased.

"You mean the stranger she ditched us for?" Cat responded and they went on like I wasn't there.

"Yep," Tori nodded. "The same stranger that is supposedly a major cutie and an excellent kisser but isn't polite enough to say hello to a girl's friends?"

"Okay," I stopped her while Cat giggled. "First of all, no one says 'cutie' anymore, and he was kind of too busy to say anything to anyone."

"'Busy' being an excellent kisser?" Cat recanted Tori's little speech with a smirk.

"Maybe," I winked and she turned around and grinned at tori. They were both just jealous that my night had been more interesting than theirs.

We'd managed to sneak into a bar last night to have one last night of crazy fun before we had to get back to the school grind. It was a spontaneous decision we'd made to go out but once we got in, we knew we'd have fun. Cute boys were offering to buy us drinks, we got to play pool and darts, without worrying about where any of it was going to lead.

Even when I met Beck, the handsome stranger, I didn't care about what was going to happen between us, it was more about what was happening right then and there. He seemed to feel the same way because we never even exchanged numbers, or last names. Yet somehow, we'd gotten comfortable enough for me to say yes when he asked if I wanted to leave with him.

"When you said 'let's get out of here', I assumed you might actually want to leave," I called him on it as he pushed me up against the back of the bathroom door. We were in the men's because the women's was occupied, and it wasn't as dirty as I thought it would be.

"I figured you wouldn't wanna leave your friends," He said in between sloppy kisses. "Plus, I didn't think I could wait any longer."

"For what?" I asked as I felt his hands grip just under my butt.

"This," He said as he picked me up, my legs wrapping around his waist.

"Me either," I had said while he kept kissing my neck, biting gently sometimes in a way I didn't know I liked.

Even now, as we walked to class, I could still feel his arms locked tight around me as he pressed his body to mine. It was strange that I could feel so close to a complete stranger in such a short amount of time, but it didn't stop the whole experience from feeling…right.

"Jade, where's your book?" Cat interrupted my flashback.

"Huh?"

"Your copy of 'Romeo and Juliet'," She repeated. "Didn't you just have it a minute ago?"

"Dammit," I realized I no longer had it with me. "I must've left it in that shady closet we stopped in. I'll meet you guys in class."

"Are you sure?" Tori asked.

"We can go with you?" Cat offered.

"No, it's cool," I answered. "I'll just see you in a few minutes."

"Kay kay," Cat replied and I watched them enter a class room a few feet ahead of me before turning around to retrieve my book.

The whole way there and back, I couldn't get him out of my head. He was hotter than any guy I'd ever seen before and interesting too. He managed to hold my attention through a conversation and make me want to know more about him.

Of course, I might never ever get to know anything more than his name was Beck. He had just graduated from USC and wanted to be an actor. From any other guy, that would've sounded totally cliché and I would've run screaming, but something about his demeanor made me take him seriously.

Or maybe it was just me being distracted by his face; did I mention it was handsome? He was tan, a deep caramel kind of shade that I remembered looking amazing next to mine. His eyes were the same color as chocolate and lit up when I told him I loved Woody Allen's movies.

I stopped just before opening the door to my first class, wondering how I'd put myself in this situation. I walked in, prepare to apologize for my tardiness but paused when I saw my new teacher's back.

"You must be Miss West," The guy said as he wrote something on the chalk board.

"Yeah," I nodded and scanned the room. Tori and Jade had saved me a seat next to them. "Sorry, I'm late, but I forgot my—,"

I stopped talking when he turned around in a rush, as if he'd heard screeching instead of my voice. When my eyes met the same chocolate ones from last night, I realized why.

"Holy shit." We said in unison.

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_**Thoughts? : O**_

_**I know there are a few Bade stories with this same premise, but I've never done one so who knows if it'll be the same.**_

_**Let me know what you think, but don't be cruel : )**_


	2. Chapter 2

I like this : )

I hope you do too

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**Beck's POV**

"Holy shit," Her reaction was the same as mine, but she recovered faster, flipping her black hair and clearing her throat before speaking. "I can't believe I'm late on the first day," She rolled her eyes and glanced towards the class, most of which were giggling at her behavior.

"Neither can I," I went along with her story which was totally unbelievable in my opinion, but the room didn't seem to notice. Either high school kids were a lot more gullible than I remembered or they were eager to please this girl. This girl that was still staring at me while I thought this over. "Take your seat, please." I ordered in as adult a tone as I could muster.

She walked through the aisles without another look at me and headed straight to an empty desk as if it were waiting for her. Now that she was in between the brunette with the cheekbones, and the small redhead, I put it together. I knew those two looked familiar when they walked in, but I couldn't place them; that bar was dim and I wasn't really paying attention to them.

"As I just said," I tried to sound as casually nervous as I did a moment ago. "I'm Mr. Oliver and this is Stage Theater 216. If you haven't already, you'll need to pick up a copy of Romeo and Juliet for the first play we'll be responsible for putting together. Auditions are in two weeks so we don't have much time to get into it," I went on spewing the monologue I'd practiced every day since I found out I'd be teaching this class, all the while trying not to look at her.

"Jade," She'd offered her hand to me in a way I imagined British royalty would when I finally got her to tell me her name.

"Beck," I held her hand in mine, lingering at the touch of her slightly cold, thin fingers. As I read the class syllabus aloud to the new students, I could still feel the chill her touch had sent throughout my body.

I'd seen her when she walked into the bar, of course, everyone had. She was with two other girls I didn't notice, and she seemed…unimpressed to say the least. They sat down at the counter and it only took a second for the swarm of local idiots to surround them.

When I finally saw her face again, through the crowd, she still looked…bored. A blonde guy about my age was in the middle of telling her a story that involved wild gestures that she basically ignored, instead using the time to take in the room. I watched her scan the whole place until she got to me.

I was playing pool with a few of my friends from school, and not even attempting to hide the fact that I was staring at her. She blinked at me and tilted her head as if she thought this would make me look away. I didn't though, just kept looking and even found the courage to nod in her direction.

My mind had been replaying the vision of her biting her lip and looking back to the blonde guy as he said something that required her participation. I knew I had to act fast, girls like that don't wait for anybody. I excused myself from the ongoing game to walk over to her and tap the blonde on his shoulder.

"Hey," I said to him as if I knew him. "You got a phone call," I pointed towards the line of payphones off to the side and he nodded. I thanked god that he wasn't smart enough realize that a.) I didn't even know his name so how could I know the call was for him or b.) None of the phones were off the hook.

"Thanks, bro," He patted me on the shoulder and hopped off the bar stool. I stood in front of the chair, too anxious to sit, while the light skinned girl stared at me curiously.

"Did he really get a call?" She asked, her voice a bit deeper than I imagined, and her eyes a lot bluer than I could see before; if that makes sense.

"No," I shook my head and grinned. "I just…really needed to meet you."

"'Needed to'?" She picked apart my sentence in a way that told me she must have been popular in high school. Don't ask me how I knew, it's just a feeling you get about certain people.

"Yep," I nodded, still grinning. "I'd ask if I could buy you a drink, but from the amount of guys that lined up when you got here, I'd bet you're already pretty drunk." That got a smile out of her. A small one, but it was enough to get me hooked, as if I wasn't already.

"Let's assume that I'm drunk," She said, setting her elbow on the counter and pressing two fingers to her temple. "And that I'm slightly interested in what you have to say," She paused for effect. "What makes you think you're my type?"

"First of all," I took a breath and spoke without thinking. "If we're assuming you're drunk, _everybody's_ your type," She scoffed but it sounded like a laugh to me so I kept going. "And second, I can just tell."

"You can tell?" She repeated.

"Yes," I nodded. "I knew the moment I saw you, it was fate."

"Fate?" Her tone told me she wasn't buying it.

"Yeah," I went on anyways. "I knew that somehow, some way, you were gonna change my life." She stared at me in a way that made me feel like I was naked in front of a crowd and on trial for a crime didn't commit. After what felt like hours, the verdict was in, she shook her head like she knew she'd regret doing this and she told me her name.

And now, as the bell rang for the class to end, I was confused. Most of me was relieved that I'd gotten my first class out of the way, but the rest of me was completely aware of the situation, making my stomach drop.

"And, you may have noticed," I said while the class picked up their belongings and stood. "We're in a classroom," I gestured around at the typical setup of desks. "Someone must have thought we were an English class, but I assure you, we'll be moving to a more stage appropriate room as soon as possible. Have a good first day!" I waved them off and stared daggers into her black hair as she walked off with her friends towards the back door; was she just going to pretend I didn't exist? Like last night didn't happen?

Maybe she was right in doing so. What was I saying 'maybe'? Of course it was a good idea. It was the only option there was. Unless, by some strange chance, she was lost and still trying to find her way back to the USC campus.

In the time it took me to fantasize that she had wandered into Hollywood Arts High School and didn't actually go here, she'd waved her friends off ahead of her and walked back into the room, stopping at her desk to pick up her book as if she'd forgotten it.

"What are you doing here?!" She hissed at me through a clenched jaw, her blue eyes furious.

"Me?!" I tried and failed to contain my volume. "I work here! What the hell are you doing here? You told me you were in college!"

"No, I didn't," She shook her head and I flashed back to the night before.

"So what do you do with your time?" She asked me, tilting her head again.

"Well I majored in theatre at USC," I told her, trying not to sound like a loser.

"Oh yeah?" She sounded surprised.

"Just graduated," I nodded and took a drink of the beer I'd ordered. "I just took a teaching job at a high school not far from here, actually. It's not really what I planned, but it'll pay the bills for now."

"Sounds mature," She raised a pierced eyebrow and I couldn't tell if she was genuinely interested or just faking. Either way I didn't want her to stop.

"It is," I shrugged. "I'm not, but it is," A silence fell but we didn't mind, just stared at each other for a few moments. "What about you?" I realized all I'd gotten out of her was her name.

"There's not much to say," She looked down at the glass in her hand. "I'm gonna be a junior, my favorite color is black…and before you got here, I was pretty bored."

"'I'm gonna be a junior," I repeated her words from last night and realized I'd drawn the conclusions I wanted to all by myself.

"And I am," She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. I don't know if it's the classroom setting, or the fact that now I know, but she looks so much younger today. The slinky corset and tight jeans she'd worn yesterday were replaced by a t shirt tucked into a short skirt with tights underneath.

"You told me your name was Jade," I said, accusingly.

"It is," She held her ground and I picked up the roll sheet with the class roster listed.

"Then why does this say your name is Brenda!" I held the paper up threateningly for her to see.

"No one calls me that," She objected and rolled her eyes. "It was just some stupid play on words my parents were trying to do with me and my brother."

"What?!"

"His name is Brandon and mine is Brenda, it's ridiculous and I hate it so—,"

"So you admit your name is Brenda," I put the roll sheet down and crossed my arms.

"Everyone calls me Jade," She said, stubbornly, as if that changed anything. "It's my middle name."

"Was anything you said last night true?" The whole night was up in the air now.

"Yes!" She stepped up to me until there was barely any distance between us. "Everything was." She was close enough now that I could see her eyes looked clearer in this lighting and that without a dirty bar surrounding her, she smelled like flowers.

"How old are you?" I asked the question I'd been dying and dreading since she walked in.

"It doesn't—,"

"Just tell me," I rubbed my head and she sighed, looking off a bit.

"Sixteen," She had barely finished saying it and I released the heaviest sigh of my life. Part of me had hoped she'd been held back and was somehow eighteen, but of course, the universe was in on some sort of joke. "My birthday's in a month." She added, like that would make me feel better. I'm ashamed to say it did.

"This isn't happening," I shook my head, hoping I'd wake up from this somehow. "This. Is not. Happening."

"Look, I know this isn't ideal, but—,"

"Ideal?!" I couldn't believe her choice of words. "No, it's not ideal, it's illegal!" I could hear myself over annunciating, but didn't stop.

"I'm gonna be late to my next class," She kept her expression stoic as she spoke now. "Can we talk about this later?"

"Of course," I said, over exasperated. "Because you'll be late to _class_!" She didn't seem fazed by my mocking her, just took a post it off my desk and wrote something down. "What are you—,"

"Meet me here after school," She said, handing the note to me.

"What? No," I shook my head while she stuck the post it to my shirt. "I can't meet you anywhere, we can't—,"

"Please?" She said quietly with her eyes wide. I stared at them for who know how long when the sound of the door opening drew my attention away.

"Mr. Oliver," The man I recognized to be Principal Eikner let himself in. "Oh, I'm sorry, didn't realize you had company. Miss West," He acknowledged Jade with a polite nod. "Should we look forward to another year of tardiness?" He nodded towards the clock and she picked her stuff up again while I pulled the post it off my chest and shoved it in my pocket.

"No, sir," She saluted him with a smirk and walked towards the door. "Thanks for the help Mr. Oliver," She said before leaving; the sound of her calling me that sent a shiver down my spine.

"Anytime," I said, grudgingly. But by that, I meant never ever again.


	3. Chapter 3

_**The rating changed : o**_

_**Hope you don't mind : )**_

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**Jade's POV**

To say I'm a cynic when it comes to love would be…pretty accurate, actually. I've never been in love and if my parent's marriage was an example, the future didn't look too bright. Which is why, for me, standing in a dirty shed waiting for just a conversation with this guy was my idea of romantic.

I'd picked the location, an ex-equipment locker that probably hadn't been used since the eighties, but I was starting to wish I'd picked somewhere less dusty. It was the first place I thought of, though, when Beck was halfway done breaking things off permanently. I still wasn't sure he'd show up here, but I was hopeful; I knew he felt that same spark I did when we kissed last night. I don't know how I knew, I just did.

After ten minutes, I was starting to think maybe I imagined any feelings he might've had for me. Maybe it was just lust. Well…to be honest, lust was a big part of it, but I was pretty sure there was more to it than that. And my suspicions were confirmed when a moment later, the door creaked open and in he walked.

The first thing he did was take a look around the small space curiously, then close the door behind him. He stood in front of the door and looked at me, his guard clearly up.

"Surprised to see me?" He asked and I tried to gage his emotions by his tone. No luck, he was almost monotone.

"Not really," I lied and shrugged. He exhaled and shook his head slowly. Not really a good sign. "But I'm still glad you came."

"I don't know what I'm doing here," He kept shaking his head and I started to feel like he was talking to himself. "This was a bad idea." He turned towards the door.

"Wait," I stopped him and watched him sigh heavily before turning back around. "Don't you think we should talk about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about," For some reason his words stung. "I told you before, last night didn't happen."

"But it did," I pointed out and put my hands on my hips.

"No," He shook his head once. "It didn't."

"Yes!" If he thought he was anywhere near as stubborn as I was, he had another thing coming. "It did. And nothing you say is gonna change that!"

"Well, I can try," He shrugged and I wanted to punch him.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I could hear my volume rising as my blood boiled.

"Me?! You're the one that won't let this go."

"And you just can't admit that you had a good time last night," I pointed my finger at him, accusingly.

"What would admitting that prove?" I noticed him stepping closer. "This isn't going to work, and you're too young to see that."

"So I'm old enough to fuck, but too young to understand your condescending, self righteous—,"

"This isn't going anywhere!" Something about him shouting made me angry and aroused at the same time. I couldn't let my mind go there, not until I proved my point. "We can never see each other like that again!"

"Do you want to?" I asked calmly.

"What?"

"Do you want to?" I repeated. "Take away all your bullshit excuses, do you want to keep seeing me?"

"It doesn't matter," He shook his head.

"It does to me," I took a step towards him. "You're gonna stand here and tell me you didn't feel anything for me yesterday?"

"I…," His drawn out pause was followed by a sigh. "No…yesterday was a mistake…And that's all."

"Fuck you," I shook my head and walked past him. I have better things to do with my time than listen to him lie about things I know are true. He was lucky I gave him a shot last night and if he wants to ruin it today, that's not my problem. Still, though, when I felt a hand grip my wrist as I passed him, I stopped.

"Don't leave like this," His voice had changed to a softer tone, matching his entire expression as he looked at me like a sad puppy.

"What do you care?" My tone was harsher, cutting through the air sharply. "Last night didn't happen, remember?" The second I realized his hand was still on my arm, I moved swiftly, planting my lips on his before I could change my mind.

To my dismay, he pulled back. It was only an inch, but it was far enough for him to look into my eyes while he tried to make a decision. I don't know if he had yet, but it was too late, his lips had already found their way back to mine.

Just like the night before, something drew us closer to each other. Call it lust, but whatever it was, it was irresistible. He pulled me up against his chest, kissing me fiercely, like it would be the last time, even though I think we both knew it wouldn't be.

My hands flew to his hair, running my fingers through it gently at first, then pulling it slightly. As our tongues wrestled slowly, I couldn't stop myself from moving my fingers down to his hips, unbuckling his belt until he took the hint and removed his jeans altogether.

My body flared with heat when he ran his fingers up my thigh to pull my tights off, taking my underwear with them. He didn't bother taking my short skirt off, just picked me up straddle him and pushed me against the nearest wall.

"This is a bad idea," He said when it was already too late. His breath was hot and shaky near my neck and I was too far gone to stop now.

"I don't care," I wasn't thinking anymore, just acting. And focusing on the moment, and the way he seemed to know exactly what my body wanted even though I didn't. "Just don't stop!"

And he didn't.

**Beck's POV**

"Where is my underwear?" Jade was asking me as she squinted at the ground around us.

"I don't know," I shrugged and zipped my jeans on, wiping the sweat off my forehead. It was kind of dark in this shack place she picked and it was hard to see the floor, but I scanned it as soon as I was finished dressing. The sooner we got out of here the better; after all, we were still on school property.

What was I thinking? I came here to end things once and for all between us and things were as far from over as they've ever been. I don't know why I kissed her, it just felt right. It felt like something I needed to do, not to mention something I wanted.

I know I'm stupid to think this would lead anywhere other than me in a jail cell, but when she tried to leave…I just couldn't let her. She was right, without all the surrounding circumstances, I would think we could have something special. But I'd be a fool to ignore the circumstances. We both would.

"What are we doing?" I asked out loud, shaking my head as if this would go away like a bad dream.

"We're looking for my thong," She replied, still staring at the ground. After a moment of consideration, she looked up at me. "Oh…you mean…what are we doing?" She understood my conviction.

"Yeah," I nodded. "This can't happen. Do you get that?"

"Yes."

"No," I raised my voice. "Do you really? Do you understand how this story ends?"

"Yes!" She yelled, and I fought the thought I had of how cute the wrinkles on her nose looked when she was mad. "I mean, no! It doesn't have to end that way. We can make this work! But….you have to want to."

"You don't think I _want_ you?!" I didn't believe my ears. "Jade, I've never wanted anyone like this before. And it doesn't even make sense! I've known you less than 24 hours and already wanting you is driving me crazy!"

"Then this is worth fighting for," She stepped up to me and put both her hands on either sides of my cheeks. Her hands were soft as she caressed my face, looking at me with wide, innocent eyes.

"You really want to walk into a fight you know you're gonna lose?" I ask, unable to resist wrapping my arms around her.

"Look, we don't have to figure this all out now," She shook her head. "Just…have dinner with me. Tonight. One thing at a time." I sighed and looked away. It was easier to say no to her when I wasn't staring at the ocean in her eyes. "Please?" Her voice was small and I was about to agree when my phone went off in my pocket.

"One sec," I untangled myself from her and took my cell out of my pocket while she resumed the search for her underwear. "Hello?" I answered, seeing the caller ID was my old roommate.

"Heyyy! Oliver!" He greeted me with the typical enthusiasm of a frat boy. We couldn't be more different, but he was still one of my best friends.

"Hey, man. Listen I can't really talk right now, I—,"

"No prob. I'm just making sure we're still on for tonight?" He said, reminding me I'd agreed to dinner with him at his parent's house today.

"Uhh," I stalled, looking straight at Jade as she pointed the light from her phone at the ground.

"Come on, bro!" He protested dramatically. "Moving back in with my parents has been rough! Come make one night less pathetic."

"It's not pathetic," I said to him yet again. "A lot of people move back home after college." I finished saying and Jade looked up at me, rolling her eyes.

"So you'll come?" He asked.

"Umm," I sighed. "Yeah, alright. I'll be there."

"Great!" I could practically see his goofy smile from here. "See you at 7."

"Bye," I hung up and knelt down to retie my shoelace, stopping when I felt a lace fabric under my shoe.

"Jade," I stood up and she turned to me.

"You're not going to dinner with me," She looked sullen as she walked back to me, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you?"

"No," I shook my head. "I forgot I already had plans." She nodded and bit her lip, looking away. "But give me your number," I couldn't stop myself from saying. "We'll figure something else out, okay?"

"Okay," She nodded and took my phone out of my hand. I don't know why I'd volunteered to make things worse, but I hated the disappointed expression she had moments ago.

"Thanks," I said when she gave my phone back to me. "Oh and…here," I offered her the black underwear I'd found.

"Thank you," She replied, leaning in closer to kiss me gently. "You should go," She whispered. "I'll wait a few minutes."

I nodded and leaned in again, kissing her for a bit longer. I was past knowing how wrong it was, but beyond trying to stop myself; at least not here and now. I walked out of the shed, noticing the sun a bit lower than before as I made my way to my car.

I had enough time to go home and change before going to dinner, and if I stopped for even a second to think about her, I'd be stuck for hours. When I got in my car, though, I turned it on and pulled my phone out, seeing what she'd done.

There, under a number I'd just memorized, was a simple "J".

.

.

.

Awhile later, I was adjusting the collar on my white dress shirt, wondering if I was overdressed. Something about the size of the house told me I wasn't, though. I picked a bit of lint off my black slacks as I rang the doorbell of the house with the address my friend had sent me.

It was two stories of intimidating architecture that half reminded me of the house from Fresh Prince of Bel Air and half reminded me of the Munsters mansion. It took awhile for someone to answer the door, I imagined them being a mile away from it.

"Oliver!" My ex roommate greeted me with shove. He looked exactly the same as always, wearing blue jeans and an old looking t shirt; his blonde hair was a disheveled mess, and his blue eyes were bright as he beamed at me. "You made it! Come in! I want you to meet my parents. Mom? Dad? Get down here, he's here!" He called back somewhere in the house.

I wasn't sure anyone could hear him, considering the large living room was empty and the grand staircase led to areas too far to see from here.

"How've you been, man?" He pushed me again and started in, excitedly. "How was the first day? And have you heard from that chick from last night?" Like usual, he asked multiple questions without waiting for an answer. "And have you seen Eikner? That guy was always on my case when I was there," He reminisced about his days from Hollywood Arts.

"The first day was alright," I answered. "And Eikner's been pretty cool. He came to welcome me and seemed like a good guy."

"Mom! Dad!" He didn't get a chance to respond as an older couple made their way down the stairs. One look at them and I knew I'd chosen the right outfit. His father was wearing an expensive looking suit and his mother, a dress with heels. "This is Beck. Beck, these are my parents, Richard and Cassandra West."

This is when things should have clicked for me. Where I should've used my college education and common sense to put two and two together and get the hell out of here. Instead of doing that, though, I said this:

"It's a pleasure to me you, Mr. and Mrs. West," I offered my hand for him to shake when he got near enough.

"Likewise," Mr. West's voice was confident, powerful.

"And please," Mrs. West's was the same as I shook her hand. "Call us Richard and Cassandra. No need for formalities around here, Brandon has told us so much about you."

I also should've taken the hint there, but no, I focused on the fact that her tone made me think she'd never heard of me before today. Something about the both of them felt fake, like they were actors, hired to play the part of my friend's parents; and they weren't going to win any Oscar's for it either.

"All good, I hope," I said lamely with a fake chuckle that they responded to with even more false laughs. This dinner was going to be rough.

"Of course," Mrs. West nodded. "Please, let's head to the dining room. Dinner should be ready."

"Great," I smiled and let the two of them go ahead of me. Brandon stayed behind, giving me a grimace.

"Sorry, bro," He clapped my shoulder. "Should've warned you about them. They're a bit…"

"Intense?"

"I was gonna say uptight," He laughed. "But yeah, that works too. They're not that bad once you get to know them."

"If you say so," I shrugged and followed him to a large room with a long dining table in the center of it. The chandelier alone looked like it could've paid for all four of my years in college, not to mention the other furniture.

His parents were seated at opposite ends of the table, which was full of empty plates and silverware. Brandon took the seat across the table from me and I couldn't help noticing how out of place he looked. Sure he looked enough like his parents, but his behavior was completely different.

"She said she'd be down in five minutes," Mr. West was saying to his wife as we sat down.

"Did she mean it?" Mrs. West replied, her tone empty.

"How should I know?" He responded. "She's _your_ daughter."

"Of course she is," She said, making me think they were continuing an argument from some other time. "Beck," She looked at me as if seeing me here for the first time. "Brandon tells us you're a teacher?"

"Uh, yes," I nodded, opting to keep my acting goals hidden. "Today was actually my first day."

"How was it?" She asked, but before I could answer, her eyes went towards the entrance and her expression hardened. "Well, it's about time," She said. "It's rude to keep our guest waiting."

"Heaven forbid our guest be kept waiting," Someone said in a fake southern accent. Her voice made me turn in surprise for the second time that day and when I did, she was equally shocked.

"Jade."

* * *

_**The enddd**_

_**For now**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_I'm so happy you seem to like this story!_**

**_It's all thanks to Crazywoobie, btw : )_**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

"Jade," I heard Beck say my name and looked up from my phone to see him sitting at my dining room table casually. What the hell was going on?

"Mr. Oliver," I said, instead of that. "What a pleasant surprise."

"'Mr. Oliver'?" My brother Brandon exclaimed, gesturing at me. "I will _never _get used to that!" He said as he started to laugh like a hyena.

"You met Beck today at school, sweetheart?" My father asked and I knew not to question the pet name I only heard when we were in public.

"Yes, daddy," I answered, wearing my best smile. "I'm in his first class."

"Oh, how lovely," My mother cooed at us charmingly. "Beck, you're going to have your hands full with Jade this year," She joked but Beck choked on his water and started coughing. "Careful there," She warned as our kitchen staff brought plates of dinner out. "Jade. Sit down."

I realized I was standing and had to make the choice between sitting beside my brother or beside Beck. As much as I knew where I wanted to sit, in the interest of acting normal, I sat next to Brandon, across from Beck.

"This looks great, guys," Brandon said to the bored looking servants as they placed food on the table. The entire cooking and cleaning crew loved Brandon and were more than happy to have him back. That was the thing about my brother, though; everyone loved him.

"Thank you," I nodded to the woman who put my vegetarian option in front of me. While everyone began eating, I took the opportunity to look across at Beck, who was trying way too hard to not look at me.

"So, Beck," My mother interrupted him as he pushed his asparagus around his plate slowly. "How was your first day?"

"It went well," He cleared his throat and answered. "Principal Eikner was very welcoming and the students were respectful. I look forward to the year." I tried to contain my smile at him sounding so…distinctive. It was odd for me, and it felt forced.

"How about you, Jade?" Brandon asked me and I couldn't remember the last time someone at this table had taken an interest in me in the last four years. "How was the first day?"

"Great," I told him and realized I'd missed his presence here. "Thanks for asking."

"That's all I get?" He took the dramatic route as usual. "Come on, tell me about your classes, your teachers and all that."

"Umm…," I was kind of thrown. It was weird to talk about my day like that with anyone other than my friends. "My classes are all good so far, except math; I hate math."

"Everyone does," He nodded and took a bite. "What else?"

"I'm taking a painting class," I said happily. "It's my first one so I'm pretty excited about it."

"Painting?" My father interrupted with a skeptical look. "I thought you wanted to be an actor."

"I do."

"Since when do actors need to know how to paint?" He questioned.

"They don't," I shrugged. "It's just for fun."

"Seems like a waste of time to me," He noted and moved on, ignoring as my face fell. "Pass the salt, would you Beck?" He requested and Beck obliged.

They went on to talk about real estate or something else I found dull so I tuned it out, staring blankly at my plate having lost my appetite. It was a strange sensation I felt when I glanced up across the table and got a small smile from Beck. Something about it was encouraging, hopeful, but it was cut short when my father asked him something about stock investments.

The entire dinner was boring me to death which is why about a half hour in, I decided to amuse myself. I slipped off my right heel and scooted in a bit closer to the table, moving slowly underneath. My pointed toe reached its destination at Beck's thigh and he jumped, startled.

"Uh—yes," He nodded to my father, looking flushed. "Absolutely," He said before shooting his eyes across the table at me. I shrugged and felt a smirk creep on my lips, letting my foot rub up further against his inner thigh until he coughed and turned pink.

"You okay, man?" Brandon asked him and he nodded profusely.

"Yeah, I just…this is really good food."

Beck's POV

"And I said, 'Not my client!'" Mr. West finished telling his story and Mrs. West let out a cackle. I, too, feigned interest and laughed along with Brandon; Jade on the other hand, didn't bother faking it.

We'd finished our food a little while ago, but still sat around the table listening to work related tales from both of the West parents. I looked across at Jade to see her looking bored, her chin resting on her hand.

Since the moment she got here I'd been doing my best to not look at her more than necessary, but I don't think I was doing a good job. I'd already memorized the tight black lace dress she wore, and even though it wasn't at all inappropriate, my mind kept seeing her in inappropriate ways.

I started to think I was just being perverted, imagining her pouting her lips at me and even winking, but when I felt the tip of her foot reach me awhile ago, I knew it wasn't in my head. For the past half hour she had settled on leaving her foot in between my thighs, up high enough to make me anxious every time she moved even a centimeter.

When I glanced across at her again, she was rolling her eyes while her mother scolded her about something to do with her wearing black. Over the course of dinner, it became obvious that her parents preferred Brandon over her, and part of me felt sorry for that. An even bigger part, though, knew she could handle herself.

"I'd wear white, but it's symbolic of purity and well," Jade was responding to her mother. "I've never been one to lie." I almost choked my water out again at her shamelessly blunt humor.

"Jade!" Her mother hissed and Jade stood up, taking her foot with her.

"I'm gonna go charge my phone," She announced and left the room.

"You'll have to excuse her," Mrs. West told me. "She's always been a bit discourteous."

"I wonder where she gets that from," Mr. West said as what I assumed to be a joke that Mrs. West didn't think was funny at all. He cleared his throat in the silence and moved on. "How about we move this party to the den?" He offered. "Beck? You look like a man who enjoys his scotch."

"Yes, sir," I nodded for some reason. Scotch? I was more of a beer guy on the rare occasions that I drank but I wouldn't even begin to know how to say no to him. After I was sure I'd be okay to stand after Jade's antics below the table, I stood and followed Mr. West out of the room, Brandon catching up with me soon, while Mrs. West went in the opposite direction.

"That went well," He informed me.

"Really?"

"Yeah," He nodded. "They like you."

"Seriously?" I exclaimed as loud I could without them hearing. "That was them liking me?"

"Yeah, man," He grinned at me. "Especially my dad."

"If you say so," I shook my head and realized I left my phone at the table. "Oh, shoot, I forgot my phone," I told Brandon. "I'll be right there."

"Alright," He nodded and I backtracked to the dining room. Just as I got to my phone, still where my place setting sat, I noticed I wasn't alone.

"Mrs. West," I was surprised to see her standing nearby, holding a glass of wine.

"Beck," She greeted me with a smile. "Forget something, dear?"

"My phone," I suddenly felt awkward being alone with her as her eyes scanned me from head to toe. Did she just check me out?

"Help yourself," She gestured to the bottle of wine on the table. "And please, I insist you call me Cassandra," She put her hand on my arm and I just stared at it. "Mrs. West sounds so…old, don't you think?"

"Umm," I wasn't quite sure how to respond and she was still looking at me. "No, not at all," I cleared my throat and took a step back from her. "I think it's a good name, distinguishable, classy." I nodded and rambled.

"It's been _so _long since there's been a man like you in this house," She sighed and came towards me. I tried to back up again, but found myself backed into the table. "I do miss it…"

"Ahem," I coughed and looked around nervously. This was not happening. "Mr. West seems like a great guy." She didn't stop closing the distance between us.

"Oh, he is," She nodded. "But you, my darling, are so handsome," She reached up to touch my face and I pushed past her, not willing to let things get that far.

"I should get going," I said, putting my phone in my pocket. "Brandon's waiting for me."

"You could stay," She offered, giving me a look. "Have some wine…"

"Ahem," This time someone else cleared their throat. Mrs. West and I turned to see Jade, standing in the doorway wearing a curious expression. "Mother," Her voice was cold, empty. "I think you've had enough." She spoke firmly and stared intensely at her mom. It was uncomfortable for me because it seemed as though they were having an entire conversation telepathically. I didn't know where to look.

"Right then," Mrs. West seemed to have lost the battle. "Off I go, see you soon, Beck. We'll have to finish this conversation another time."

I took a deep breath and glanced at Jade, but she walked away before I could say anything. She didn't think I was going along with her mother's advances, did she? No way. Still, though, I wished I could follow her as she walked into the kitchen, but I knew Brandon would be missing me by now so I went to the den, as ordered.

An hour later, I was stuck hearing yet another one of Mr. West's 'interesting' stories about something that happened on the golf course. To be honest, the only thing getting me through them was the scotch. I'd lost count of how much I had to drink, but he just kept pouring and I didn't stop him.

I should have, though, because when Jade walked in awhile later, I could feel myself blatantly staring at her. She winked at me as she sat beside me on the couch in front of the fireplace. It would've been romantic if her father wasn't standing nearby with her brother, and her mother wasn't behind the bar.

As she sat down next to me, I noticed she'd removed the gray tights she'd been wearing under her dress before. Now, the only thing between her smooth leg and mine was the fabric of my jeans. That thought, combined with the liquor, was all that consumed my mind.

"Jade, darling," Her mother called from the bar. "Cross your legs." She instructed and Jade sighed, obeying. It didn't help, though. With her legs crossed neatly, her dress fell back higher and revealed more of her body than before.

Her father didn't seem to notice her mother's warning as he laughed about something Brandon was telling him. Again, I felt that pang of sadness for Jade as I looked at her. She was completely stoic; pretending to listen, but blinked down at my hand as I offered her my full glass of scotch. Slowly, she picked it up out of my grasp and drank half of it, smiling when she set it back down in my hand.

"Better?" I whispered to her.

"Much."

And so began a routine we kept going for the next hour. She'd drink half of my serving and continue nodding and smiled for her parents while I drank the rest and her father poured me another glass. I didn't even think of the repercussions until Brandon said:

"Whoa, Beck. How much have you had to drink?"

"Oh, uh," I froze, looking around nervously. "Not that much."

"Nonsense," Mr. West blew my cover. "It's great to have a man in the house who can hold his liquor."

"Thanks, dad," Brandon made a face at him.

"Oh, I'm only joking," Mr. West said.

"You better stay the night here," Brandon told me and I shook my head.

"No, no it's fine," I stood up. "I feel fine, really."

"Now, now," Mrs. West joined the conversation. "Brandon is right. I couldn't, in good conscious, let you leave intoxicated."

"Oh, I'm not really—,"

"You'll stay in one of the guest bedrooms," She decided.

"And I'll let you borrow some clothes," Brandon chimed in.

"I'll go find you some pillows," Mrs. West said as she left the room. "Richard, dear, I think you've had enough. You've got that meeting early tomorrow."

"And by that," Jade leaned in to tell me. "She means, I'm gonna go find a maid who knows where the pillows are and Richard, you're drunk, go to bed." I stifled a laugh just as her father said goodnight to me and left.

"Come on, bro," Brandon said now. "I'll give you the tour."

"Alright," I responded and he was already out the door, leaving Jade and I alone. "You know," I spoke to her. "You could've told me he was your brother."

"How was I supposed to know you two knew each other?" She shrugged at me and uncrossed her legs.

"We were roommates for 4 years!" I said. "How could you not have known who I was? And why didn't you stop them from making me spend the night?"

"Because," She smirked and shrugged. "I like the idea of you and I under the same roof…all night…" I shook my head at her outright sexuality; it was new to me and kind of refreshing. "Don't you want to stay with me?" She asked as she stood up. She lingered near me, standing too close and leaning in unnecessarily.

"Of course I do," I said before I could think.

"Then you better get going," She winked and stepped back. "You're late for the tour."

**Jade's POV**

I'd abandoned the idea of getting a good night's sleep today the second I realized Beck would be staying. How could I possibly sleep? He'd be so close. It made me nervous but more so, excited. It was an exhilarating feeling that I didn't want to shake.

I went up to my room while Brandon took Beck on the tour and cleaned it for some reason. I didn't think he'd be in here, but…just in case. I was surprised at how well he'd handled my parents and grateful for the drinks he snuck me later. It made it easier to block out the image of my mother hitting on him in the dining room. Just as I made my bed, my phone went off, ringing with a call from Cat.

"Hello?" I answered it with a sigh.

"Jade!" Cat shouted happily. "Tori's here too."

"Hey," Tori greeted. "We missed you after school. I thought we were supposed to go to the mall?"

"Oh," I shook my head, remembering. "Sorry guys, I got held up at school." Technically that wasn't a lie.

"You should've been there," Cat said. "Tori got hit on."

"I did not," Tori protested. "He just said I was cute."

"That's getting hit on," I said.

"Told ya," Cat sang.

"Who are we talking about?" I asked.

"Andre Harris," Tori said. "Him and Robbie Shapiro were at the mall today."

"That's cool," Was all I said when I thought I heard footsteps coming up the staircase. Could the tour be over already? "Listen guys, I gotta—,"

"You're going to the homecoming game this Friday, right?" Cat asked before I could hang up.

"You have to go!" Tori said, like she could sense a 'no' coming.

"Why? You know it's gonna be lame," I complained. "Hollywood Arts only has a football team so it can qualify for that state grant. Everyone knows the team sucks."

"Which is why they need awesome cheerleaders," Cat urged.

"The cheerleaders are all dancers," I said. "They _are_ awesome."

"Come on!" Tori whined. "I already chose a cute outfit and Cat's gonna be in the half time show and—,"

"You are?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Cat said. "I told you at lunch."

"Oh," I didn't remember her telling me and felt bad, knowing I was too busy thinking about Beck today. "Right. Well then, yeah I'll go," I agreed and heard voices coming down the hallway. "I'll talk to you tomorrow though, okay guys? Goodnight!" I said, hanging up before they could say anything else.

I opened my door just as they went into my brother's room and flipped my hair as if he could see me. I crept down the long hallway and stopped short of my brother's half open door.

"…so it's over," Brandon was saying when I got close enough to hear. "But what about you? Tell me about that chick you met yesterday at the bar!"

"Uhh," Beck stuttered and I smirked. Something about making him uncomfortable was really funny. "Not much to tell." Hah.

"What?!" Brandon wasn't buying it. "This morning on the phone you said she was, and I quote, 'amazing' and probably the most beautiful girl you'd ever laid eyes on. What changed?"

"Nothing," Beck answered quietly and I could feel my cheeks burning.

"Ah," Brandon acted as if this said it all. "The sex was crap."

"What?" I couldn't contain myself from saying, then covered my mouth.

"What?" Beck had said too. "No, no, that's not it."

"It's okay," Brandon went on anyways. "You were in a bar, the chances of finding a hot, smart girl there are slim."

"Really, Brandon. Let's not talk about it."

"Something had to give. You can't be smart, hot, and good in bed. It's like flying too close to the sun," Brandon's so called wisdom made me want to punch him. "Nothing to be ashamed about."

"Dude," Beck stopped him. "That wasn't it. Trust me."

"Then what was it?"  
"Nothing," He insisted. "She was incredible and it was a night I'll never forget…but I think I just wanna leave it that way."

"You're crazy."

"Maybe."

"You should at least find out if she has any hot sisters I could date," Brandon said and Beck burst out laughing. I had to cover my mouth again to stop myself from losing it too. My brother basically asked if he could date himself.

"What's so funny?" Brandon asked when Beck finally calmed down.

"N-nothing," He answered. "So um, show me where I'll be staying?" He requested and I heard them move towards the door. I snuck back to my room just in time and changed out of my dress. One thing was for sure, tonight would be interesting.

**Beck's POV**

After Brandon gave me the tour, which was long and tiring because of the size of the house, I settled back in one of the guest bedrooms with a pair of pajamas he'd lent me. The room was probably the size of my new apartment downtown, but fully furnished with the same kind of stiff furniture as the downstairs. I washed up and got into bed, exhausted and ready to sleep, but of course, my mind wouldn't let me. Instead it wandered to the door Brandon had pointed out earlier.

"Oh, that's Jade room," He'd said casually as we passed it. "Don't go in there or she'll throw something at you."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," He nodded. "And it'll hurt. I love her, but she's batshit crazy."

"Seriously?" I repeated. I definitely got the idea Jade wasn't normal, but…batshit crazy? That was a pretty specific description. "She seems…nice."

"Oh she is," He agreed. "If she likes you. But the second you're on her bad side…" He shook his head. "Let's just say I wouldn't wanna be that guy."

I took this in as he started telling me about his latest breakup with a girl I'd never met. Apparently she was too clingy and he ended things. I was only picking up on half of what he was saying as I kept thinking back to Jade's closed door and the thoughts about what was behind it.

Even now, as I laid in bed, the thoughts wouldn't go away. It didn't matter that she was sixteen and I knew it could never work…I still wondered what was behind that door. Was all her furniture black like her wardrobe? What size was her bed? Could the two of us fit on it? What did she wear to sleep?

The last thing I remember seeing before falling asleep was the full moon shining into the guest room where I stayed. It seemed bigger than usual, glowing vibrantly and distracting me long enough to fall asleep. When I shut my eyes, I visualized the moon and played old songs over and over in my head, trying to keep my mind in check.

I didn't hear the door as it open and shut quietly; nor the sound of her muffled footsteps as she treaded the soft carpet. When she tripped over one of my shoes, though, and stubbed her toe on the bedpost, I heard the slew of curse words flowing out of her mouth and opened my eyes.

"What the…?" I sat up quickly, alarmed.

"Dammit!" She whisper yelled to herself and leaned against the bed, holding her foot. It was dark, but in the moon's light I could see she was wearing a thin, black, silky robe that stopped just under her butt.

"What are you doing here?" I asked when I was aware.

"Why would you leave your shoes there?" She responded, ignoring my question.

"You can't be in here!" I said as loudly as I could. The house was dead silent and her brother's room was right across from mine.

"Says who?" She asked, standing straight and walking closer to me. I sat up further, dangling my legs off the bed.

"Says me!" I tried to sound threatening, in the hopes that she'd heed my warning, but she didn't, only came closer, standing in front of where I sat. "We're gonna get caught, you have to leave."

"Is that what you want?" She asked the question that seemed to be stunning me lately.

"I—," I faltered, looking away from her intense gaze. She wouldn't let me, though, as she put her hands on either side of my face again, just like earlier, and forced me to look at her.

"Tell me to leave," She whispered. "And I'll go," Her fingers traced my jaw line and I stood up, as if that would help me get the words out. "Tell me." She said, more firmly, knowing she had me.

She knew I couldn't say the words to make her leave, and she dwelled on it, letting our lips linger close enough to make me want her but too far for me to reach. She pulled herself away from me completely, taking a single step back from me, still making eye contact.

"This is dangerous," I told her, avoiding the question altogether. She had the faintest smile playing on her lips as she tilted her head and widened her eyes; a signature move I was getting used to.

"Then leave," She said simply, not bothering to gesture towards the exit. I wasn't going anywhere and she knew it.

Her eyes followed my hands as I reached forward, lightly tugging on the loose knot holding her robe together. It came undone and fell open a bit, showing a sliver of skin at her stomach; it didn't faze her for a second. With one shrug of her shoulders the robe slid off, falling to the floor and revealing her naked body to me.

Something about the way she just stood there, letting me take in the sight of her pale body in the moonlight, was enthralling. She held perfectly still, even as I moved forward to feel from her rib cage down to the curve of her hip.

"You…are so beautiful," I whispered, leaning down till our foreheads touched. As calm as she was, when I got close enough, I could feel her breath was shaky as she exhaled slowly against me.

I slid my hands around her waist, up her spine till I could feel the shivers tingling on her skin. That was when I realized that maybe, just maybe I made her as crazy as she made me. I felt her hands combing through my hair as our lips came closer and closer together until finally connecting.

Something about the prolonged wait made it better. Our mouths moved in slow motion, taking advantage of the increased amount of time we weren't used to. I could feel her hips start to sway with mine, her body already writhing against me in anticipation.

I took a step back, bringing her with me closer to the bed behind me. She let her hands trail down to hem of the t shirt I'd borrowed, her fingertips creeping up my abs until she'd pulled the shirt off completely. Her mouth left mine and left a slow track of wet kisses from my neck to my chest then back up to my lips again.

The feel of her lips on my body was too much for me to handle and I turned us around, laying her on the bed in a swift motion. I stood for a moment, staring at her as she propped herself up on her elbows, and moved onto the middle of the bed, waiting for me. I pulled off my pajama bottoms and boxers hastily, eager to kiss her all over. I calmed myself long enough to get myself to move slower, taking in every inch of her body; I want to remember this, all of it.

"Mmmm," She exhaled a moan when I kissed near her pelvic bone and I glanced up to see her biting her lower lip, her eyes closed. I crawled up her body carefully, spreading her legs enough for me to kneel between them and lowering myself to kiss her again.

I don't know why, but I broke our lips apart to look at her, as if I needed one last reassurance that this was okay. It wasn't our first time, but it was different. I could feel it, and I knew she could too. This wasn't just sex. It was more, somehow, and it would change things. The question was; for better or worse?

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**_Eeep! _**

**_I hope this didn't disappoint D :_**

**_Let me know : )_**

**_Aaaand don't be cruel : (_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**I hope you're still interested : )**_

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**Beck's POV**

When I woke the next morning, I could feel the dumb smile still on my face before I opened my eyes. With one glance around, I could see I was alone; the reason for my smile long gone. The empty space beside me made me wonder if it was all a dream. The fact that I was naked, though, told me it wasn't.

I got dressed and tried to make the bed the best I could before heading downstairs. After a minute though, I realized I must've taken a wrong turn because instead of the staircase, I found another door where I thought it was. I tried to trace my steps backwards, but soon didn't recognize anything.

"What're you doing?" I heard Jade's voice clearly and turned around to see her standing in the open doorway of what was somehow her room. I did a double take, wondering how the hell I'd gotten here, then realized she was waiting for an answer.

"I…got lost," I stumbled through an explanation as I scanned her from head to toe. She was dressed for school already, wearing tight black jeans with combat boots and a slinky black top that slid off her left shoulder. She raised her eyebrows at me when she noticed I was staring and I cleared my throat. "Which way to the stairs?"

Without another word, she pointed in the opposite of the direction I had gone and walked back into her room, shutting the door behind her. I wonder if she was expecting me to say something about last night. What could I say? Thank you? This can never happen again? I'd tried that already.

Maybe in this case, it was better to say nothing. So I followed her lead and went downstairs like nothing had happened. I found Brandon and his mother already seated, eating breakfast silently.

"Beck!" Brandon nodded at me happily. "It's about time!" I glanced around looking for a clock and saw that it was already 7:40am. Hollywood Arts started at 8, I should be leaving.

"Oh," I said, still staring at the clock. "I should really get going."

"Without breakfast?" Mrs. West suddenly noticed me and I felt creeped out; probably leftover from last night. "At least have a muffin," She pointed to a basket full of them.

"Thanks," I said just before Jade entered the room. She barely looked at me as she adjusted the bag on her shoulder and spoke directly to her mother.

"Where's dad?" She asked in a hurry.

"Honey, your father had an early meeting," Mrs. West said to the newspaper in front of her. "Brandon's taking you to school."

"Fine," She shrugged. "Brandon, let's go."

"Actually," Her brother looked from me to Jade and I knew what was coming next. "Beck, do you mind driving Jade? I mean, you're going to the same place anyways. And it's better for the environment."

"And you get to go back to bed," Jade rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently. Brandon looked at me for an answer, but I froze. More time alone with her? This was past being a bad idea and heading straight for disaster. What if we were seen?

"Beck?" Brandon asked again.

"Uh sure," I nodded quickly. "For the environment," I added then immediately regretted.

"Well, come on, then," Jade looked at me expectantly and I moved towards the door instantly.

"See you later," I told Brandon as I fetched my keys out of my pocket. "Thanks for everything Mrs. West." I said my goodbyes in a rush and jogged outside where Jade was already waiting. As soon as I shut the door, she pushed me back against it.

"Finally," She whispered before planting her lips on mine. She kissed me hard and fast, like it was the last thing she'd ever get a chance to do. Her hands went up to my hair and I pulled her off before I lost all my senses.

"We can't," I said and she rolled her eyes but nodded.

"I know," She shrugged and started walking towards my parked car. She didn't say anything as we got into my used mustang and started off towards the school, just stared blankly out the window. After five minutes, though, at a red light, I felt her hand creep over to my leg and rub slowly up my thigh.

I didn't say anything at first, just waited for the light to turn green and kept going, but the longer I let it go on, the more I wanted. I held onto her wrist, holding it up away from me, knowing my own limits. She tried to wiggle it away but I shot her a look and she stopped.

"Not here," Was all I said before she jerked her wrist away and sighed. I knew I should've let it end there, but I couldn't stand the pout on her face. I looked over at her sad expression, wondering if it was real or not before letting my hand wander to rest on her knee. She smirked to herself and it brought a genuine smile to my face. She was the kind of trouble no one needed, but everyone wanted; especially me.

**Jade's POV**

When we got to school, I noticed that Beck parked far away in the parking lot, but didn't question it. I'd been pushing his limits since the moment we met, I could give him this little break. Instead, I got out of his car, smiled and said, "Thanks for the ride Mr. Oliver."

"No problem," He smirked and waved me off. I could tell he hated that he liked when I called him that, which made me love it. I walked off towards the school and went straight for my locker, my mind wandering to last night.

"Do you always sleep nude?" Beck had asked, long after I'd first entered his room. "'Cause I could get used to that." He joked as he stroked my hair down slowly.

I chuckled, but didn't answer. I was exhausted and laying comfortably, my head on his chest and his arms wrapped around me. I've never been one for mushy romantics, but the sensation of warmth and comfort I got from being here with him was a pleasant surprise I hadn't planned on.

Honestly, i didn't have a plan when I left my room late last night, heading for the guest room he was in. I just knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity. And laying here now, I knew I was right to stay.

"This isn't gonna end well," He said after awhile longer.

"Don't," I moved to look up at him. "Not now, okay?"

"Okay," He nodded and agreed, but his eyes looked worried. I wasn't as naïve as he seemed to think, I knew how badly this could go…I just preferred optimism; which was weird for me.

I moved up to kiss him softly, as if I could relieve some of the stress. It worked because when I looked at him again, he was just smiling lazily, lost in a haze. I didn't blame him; he had me feeling hazy for a long time after.

"Listen," I started, moving up on my elbow so I could look at him. "I'm sorry…about my mother." It was beyond humiliating to have to say, but he had to know I was nothing like her. He started laughing, the sound rumbling through his chest beneath me and making me giggle.

"She…she's really something," He said, probably opting to be polite.

"She's a cougar," I rolled my eyes. "And she's my polar opposite, you get that, right?" I stared at him until he got a serious look in his eyes.

"Yeah," He nodded. "You're different," He agreed. "You're not like anyone I've ever met."

"You're just saying that to get in my pants," I joked, laying on my back.

"If I recall correctly," He flipped himself onto me, leaning down close. "You weren't wearing any pants for me to get into," He smiled and kissed me, becoming the last thing I remembered before I fell asleep.

I fought the urge I kept feeling to giggle as I shut my locker door, only to drop my books at the person now standing in front of me.

"Ryder!" I tried not to sound so shocked, and more angry, but he'd taken me by surprise.

"Hey sugar," He grinned at me. "Miss me?"

"Not in the slightest," I regained my composure quick. I turned to leave but he blocked my path, wearing a puppy dog expression. "What?" I said sharply.

"I just wanted to break the ice," He said, really turning on the charm. "And let you know that there's no hard feelings. I'm ready to let bygones be bygones if you are," He smiled and I was temporarily distracted by the sight of Beck walking into the teacher's lounge. He looked so handsome today; I genuinely couldn't wait to get to class. "How about it?" Ryder's voice brought me back.

"Fuck you," I told him before walking away. He didn't dare follow me, not after what he'd put me through. Normally, I'm not particularly that rude to just anyone, but Ryder Daniels wasn't just anyone. He was my ex boyfriend, twice removed.

Being with Ruder was probably the biggest mistake I've yet to make…and I've made quite a few. There's no way to say it other than he treated me like shit. He was always late to our dates, criticized little things I did, and cheated on me every chance he got.

Of course, I realized all this when it was too late. We'd been together six months last year when I finally saw what a waste of space he was. And the second I did, he decided I was the love of his life. He started apologizing for all the crap he'd put me through, and swore he had changed.

I was done with him, though. It's strange how quickly your view of someone can change. I spent the summer focusing on me and my friends. Just having fun without worrying about what anyone else thought. I wasn't about to let all that progress go just because the jerk flashed me a smile.

So I held my head high, walked to class and looked to the future; all the while, daydreaming about the past, last night that is. It turned out to be a good idea because all during first period, Beck ignored me.

And not the subtle, kind of shy ignoring that he'd done yesterday. Today he was straight up avoiding me. When he did look glance at me, it was with the occasional glare; confusing me beyond belief.

"Hey Jade," Tori called to me when the bell rang and I lingered at my desk. "You coming?"

"In a minute," I mumbled. "I have to use the restroom, I'll catch up." She nodded and left with Cat, following as the entire class shuffled out.

"Hey," I approached his desk slowly. "Did I…do something?" I asked, hating how unsure my voice sounded.

"No," He answered, keeping his head down on some paperwork.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" He overreacted, looking up at me with a glower. "Shouldn't you be off to class, little girl?"

"Fuck you," If Ryder taught me anything it's that I won't take this kind of attitude anymore.

"Watch your mouth, I am—,"

"You are being an asshole for no reason!" I raised my voice as I started to head for the door. I don't know what got into him, but it had nothing to do with me.

"Oh I have my reasons," He retorted, making me turn around.

"Care to share with the class?" I challenged.

"I'm not doing this," He shook his head. "This exactly the kind of immature stuff I was trying to avoid."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" I was lost. I hadn't done anything, yet somehow I was to blame?

"Enough," He put a hand up. "I have a class coming in."

"Whatever," I muttered, wishing I'd never asked in the first place.

.

.

.

.

"Jade, why aren't you eating?" Cat asked as I stabbed my fork through my uneaten burrito yet again.

"I'm not hungry," I mumbled. She, Cat, and I sat around our usual table at lunch, me still sulking over the out of the blue argument I'd had with Beck.

"Are you dieting?" Tori asked.

"No," I rolled my eyes. "I'm just not hungry."

"Fine, jeez," She backed off. "So have you seen Ryder yet?" She leaned in to lower her voice.

"Unfortunately," I mumbled. "What the hell, I thought he was transferring?" I remembered the gossip Tori had accumulated over the summer.

"I guess he changed his mind," She shrugged.

"What did he say to you?" Cat wondered.

"That we're meant to be, and I'll see that soon," I shook my head and shuddered. "You know, the usual."

"He's crazy about you," Tori nodded.

"Yeah, well, he should've thought of that before he slept with Mandy Peters," I shrugged. "And Sarah Steinback."

"And Paula Rubio," Tori added.

"Oh and that Rita girl," Cat pointed out. "What was her last name, Seymore? Simon?"

"Simmons," Tori told her.

"That's it!" Cat clapped. "She was—,"

"Okay! Okay!," I stood up from the table, taking my bag with me. "You've made your point. I'm gonna get a drink. I'll see you guys later."

I barely said goodbye as I trotted off to the vending machine in the main hallway. What kind of name was Rita anyways? She had a crooked nose, too. Ugh. I hated that I let that stuff get to me.

"How's my girl doing?" I heard the last voice I wanted to hear as I got to the drink machine.

"I'm not your girl," I said sternly to Ryder as he jogged up alongside me.

"Don't worry, doll," He waved my hand down and slid a dollar into the machine. "It's on me," He said with a wink.

"Great," I rolled my eyes. "You can afford to buy me a can of soda. How romantic."

"Why are you fighting this?" He motioned between us. "You and I have a connection. One you can't deny."

"Is that why you cheated on me?" I was in no mood to play his games.

"Ouch," He feigned pain. "Alright, so you're still upset, I get it. But think of all the good times we had," He kept talking and I ignored him, noticing from the corner of my eye Beck. He was standing near the entrance of his class, glaring over at us and pretending to be looking through few files. I don't know why he'd been such a prick earlier, but two could play at that game.

Ryder was still talking sweet to me so I played along, faking interest, smiling occasionally and even tucking my hair behind my ears like I was nervous.

"…and remember that weekend at your parents cabin?" He reminded me of the time he spent two full days watching football and ignoring me.

"You're right," I stopped him, reaching forward to touch his arm lightly. "We did have a lot of good times," I went on till I saw Beck storm away, looking pissed. "You should cherish those memories, because I'm done with you."

"You'll regret that, Jade!" He tried calling to me, but it was too late. I was already gone.

* * *

_**I just think Dan Schneider made it so easy to hate Ryder lol**_

_**Stay tuned : ) **_

_**More to come soooooon**_

_**p.s. if you haven't already heard, I got tickets to see Liz Gillies at her show Oct. 9**__**th**__** : D **_

_**I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying that lol**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**: )**_

* * *

**Beck's POV**

The day had gone to hell. This was my conclusion as I got out of my last class of the day. Along with my regular class, I had to take on a study hall period, and the kids had not felt like studying. I didn't care though; my conflicting thoughts were louder than they could ever be.

When I'd first seen Jade flirting with that guy in the morning, I tried to convince myself it was nothing. Of course, my behavior didn't let me. I totally flipped on her, my own jealousy a mystery to me. She reacted just as volatile, angry at my anger.

I'd just finished convincing myself I'd acted like a fool when I saw her and the same boy talking at lunch. This time, I knew for sure she was flirting with him. She looked playful, like she was enjoying it. Which made me wonder how often she played guys like me. I was an idiot for thinking anything between us was real.

"Mr. Oliver?" I heard a woman's voice and turned, hating that I had hoped it was Jade.

"Uh…yes," I nodded towards the young woman walking towards me. She was a little short, with long blonde hair and a briefcase. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, no," She shook her head and smiled a pearly white smile. "I'm Tiffany," She extended her hand for me to shake. "Tiffany Harmon. I teach art."

"Oh!" She was a teacher? She looked as young as me. "Oh, that's great. I—I'm Beck, it's great to meet another staff member."

"I know what you mean," Tiffany smiled again, flipping her hair. "Last year was my first and I cannot begin to count how many times I was mistaken for a student. It's great to finally have someone my age around."

"Well," I nodded, really not in the mood for small talk. Especially when I could see Jade standing at her locker ahead of me. She was fixing her lip gloss, oblivious to anyone but herself, of course. "We'll have to get together for lunch sometime," I noticed the slightly piqued look in her eyes; it was interest, definitely, but for some reason I didn't know how to respond to it.

"I'd love that," She kept on smiling, staring at me until she finally cleared her throat and spoke. "I better get going," She motioned to the exit. "I'm gonna hold you to that lunch," She giggled to herself and walked away.

I was still waving like an idiot when she'd already gone so I didn't notice Jade closing her locker to walk over to me. I did, however, notice when she leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "On to the next, right, Mr. Oliver?"

As soon as she came, she was gone, taking long strides away from me. I don't know why it felt like I'd been the victim of a hit and run. She had a way of getting under my skin like no one had ever done. This time, though, I was fighting back.

**Jade's POV**

"We need to talk," His voice was low and terse just before I felt his grip on my arm, pulling me way.

"Hey!" I protested. The halls were bare so I couldn't make the argument that we'd be seen, but I didn't like the way he was acting. "What the fuck? You can't just—Ouch!" I winced as he practically threw me into the nearest janitor's closet, shutting the door behind himself. "That—," I shoved him back hard. "Hurt! Jackass," I was breathing a bit heavy from the fast pace he'd brought me here in and now my arm was aching, leaving me in an even worse mood.

"What the hell was that?" He asked sharply instead of apologizing.

"What are you talking about?" I rolled my eyes and rubbed my arm.

"Don't play dumb with me, Jade," He shook his head. "You're better than that. You're smarter."

"What? I'm not allowed to comment on your love life?" I could feel my blood boiling, remembering that blonde bitch he was cozying up to. "I'm SO happy for you, Beck. I really am."

"Do you even hear yourself?"

"Of course I do!" I started raising my voice. "Is this fun for you? Fucking students by night and teachers by day?! Are you trying to break some kind of record?"

"Me?!" He was gesturing wildly. "You're the one living the teen dream! I bet all the guys around here fall to your feet just like that punk you were practically humping in the hallway today."

"What?" I was confused and pissed. He was talking about Ryder?

"Drop the act, little girl," He called me that again and I lost it, pushing him again and again, screaming profanities until he held my arms down and covered my mouth.

"Let me go!" I wriggled away from him and backed away, panting like I'd just run a marathon. "I can't fucking do this with you! I thought you were different."

"Yeah well, I guess I'm not," His sarcasm annoyed me further. "This'll be a great excuse for you to run back to your little boyfriend, won't it?"

"For the last time," I took a deep breath. "What. The fuck. Are you talking about?"

"That guy!" He pointed back towards the door. "The douchebag in a leather jacket, who the hell is he, huh?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about," I shook my head and turned away. It was almost comical that he thought there was something going on between us.

"Don't laugh at me," He got upset, walking over to stand in front of me. I don't know why, but I smiled, chuckling at the irony of it all. I finally get away from Ryder and his presence still causes problems for me.

"Sorry," I said, half heartedly.

"No, you're not," He shook his head, but sounded less angry.

"No," I smiled full on and looked at him. "I'm not." He let out a big sigh and ran his hands through his hair.

"What are we gonna do?" He asked, looking at me with a weary expression. "I can't go on like this. You're driving me crazy."

"No," I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest. "You must have been born that way because I haven't done anything."

"Then who is that guy?" He demanded.

"That guy," I rolled my eyes, hating that I had to go into this. "Is Ryder Daniels."

"And he's…?"

"My ex boyfriend," I sighed.

"Oh," He looked refrained, like he was holding back.

"Yeah," I shrugged. "We broke up last year and he's still not over it."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"There's nothing else going on?"

"No," I said sternly. "And I don't appreciate you insinuating that there is."

"Can you blame me? You two looked very…comfortable."

"Almost as 'comfortable' as you and that blonde bimbo."

"Tiffany?" He played confused.

"'Tiffany'?" I repeated. "God, her name even sounds like a slut."

"All I did was have a conversation with a fellow colleague," He said. "You're the one rekindling an old flame."

"Don't be so dramatic," I rolled my eyes. "Especially when you don't know anything about the situation. You can't punish me for having a past."

"No, but you can't blame me for hating it," He concluded, rubbing his head like it hurt.

"I don't want to fight."

"Neither do I," He looked down at me sadly. "Okay, you're right," He clapped his hands together. "You're a beautiful girl, and you're bound to attract guys. I like to be prepared, though," He sounded a bit too business like for my taste. "How many boyfriends have you had?"

"I'm not a whore, if that's what you're asking."

"It's not….but good to know, I guess," He kind of smiled.

"Are you?"

"A whore?" He checked and I nodded. "No, I don't think so."

"How many girlfriends have you had?" I flipped the script on him.

"Four. And you?"

"Five."

"Wow," He said and I wanted to punch him.

"Don't 'wow' me! That's only one more than you, and half of those were stupid middle school boys that only lasted a week."

"Okay, fine," He nodded. "I'll change the question. How many 'serious relationships' have you been in?" I hated the way he used air quotes like my version of serious wasn't real.

"Three."

"Who were they?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does to me," He kept going. "If I have to see these guys around school, I'd like to at least know who they are."

"Ryder," I gave away after hesitation. "This guy named Jeremy," I said then paused, shifting uncomfortably. "And…Ryder again."

"Wow."

"Stop saying that!"

"I can't help it!" You and this Ryder kid must've been pretty serious, then?"

"No! I mean, yeah sort of…not really," I didn't know how to describe it. "What does it matter anyways?"

"It doesn't," He tried looking stoic, but I didn't buy it.

"You dragged me by force into this shit hole to talk about him so obviously it does."

"No! It doesn't!" He started yelling, only proving my point. I raised my eyebrows at him till he calmed down. "Okay, fine," He nodded. "So we need to come up with some ground rules."

"I don't do so well with rules."

"Of course not," He mumbled then cleared his throat. "Can we just…put all our cards on the table?"

"I don't have any cards," I tried to explain. "Beck, I wanna be with you. That's all there is to it."

"And Ryder?"

"He's dead to me," I could see him thinking about this for a minute and I wondered if he believed me. "Rule one," I thought of. "I've never given you a reason to doubt me, so don't." He stared me down, still silent, his eyes seeming busy.

"Rule number two," He finally spoke. "No more trying to make me jealous in public. I almost started a fight with that kid."

"Same goes for you and 'Tiffany'," I said her name with as much disgust as possible.

"Rule three," He went on. "We can't tell Brandon."

"Rule three," I amended. "We can't tell anyone."

* * *

_**Thisss was the rest of last chapter but I wasn't done with it yesterday.**_

_**I hope you liked it : )**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hello!**_

_**My mind was sort of in the gutter today**_

_**I hope that's okay with you ;p**_

* * *

**Jade's POV**

"Miss West!" I halted in my place when I heard Principal Eikner call to me. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" He asked even though he knew the answer.

"Detention," I turned around and told him, hoping Beck was already in the parking lot.

"Detention ended twenty minutes ago," He informed me.

"Really?" I was genuinely surprised. After Beck and I had established our version of ground rules, he suggested we shake on it and I of course preferred to seal the deal with a kiss. I guess time had gotten away from us.

"Really," Eikner wasn't amused. "Care to explain your whereabouts?" He asked and I saw Beck glance at me from around a corner in the hallway. He'd left the closet five minutes before me to keep up appearances but must've come back when I took so long. I waved him off as subtly as I could and he backed away out of sight.

"Umm…," I stammered. "I had a…paper to write," I made up.

"Oh really?" He crossed his arms. Eikner had it out for me ever since my brother came here; he thought we thought we could get away with anything. Can't really blame him there. "A paper about what?"

"About…America," I nodded. "And all its wonderful freedoms," I must've sounded like an idiot but it was too late to back down now.

"Nice try, Miss West," He shook his head. "We'll see you in detention tomorrow. And the next day and the next day."

"Ugh," I rolled my eyes.

"And since you're on such a writing streak," He said. "I'll expect a five page essay tomorrow about the importance of obeying your authority figures."

"Yes, sir," I saluted as I started to back away. "Can't wait," I waved and walked out the main hallway. This was ridiculous. An hour long make out session cost me a five page essay and the rest of my week in detention. Was it worth it?

"Hey," Beck had caught up to me in the parking lot. "What was that about?" In the setting sunlight, his tan skin glowed and I knew it had been worth it.

"I forgot I had detention today," I shrugged. That's where I was headed before he had pulled me into the janitor's closet.

"What?" He said. "How'd you manage to get detention on the second day of school? And why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"I was a little preoccupied, if you recall," I shot him a look as we got into his car. "And it was dumb, my friend Cat and I were talking too loud in vocals class today."

"So what did Eikner say?" He started to drive in the direction of my house.

"I have detention all week, where are you going?"

"I'm taking you home."

"No," I protested. "Let's hang out?"

"What did you have in mind?" He asked.

"Just drive."

**Beck's POV**

A few hours after Jade and I left the school, we were parked alongside a freeway about an hour out of town. The sun had gone down but no mention of going home had been made. We were laying in the reclined seats of my car with its top down, staring up at the sky.

"If you loved it so much, why did you leave?" Jade was asking now. I had just finished telling her all about Canada and my family back home.

"I knew that my future wasn't there," I answered honestly. "I hated leaving home, but…it was just something I had to do, you know?" I looked over at her and she nodded.

"Yeah, I do," It was strange to me that when we were alone I couldn't distinguish an age difference. I don't know if that meant she was mature or I was immature, but our conversations never seemed dictated by age.

For hours now we'd been alternating between talking and fooling around, and I couldn't remember a time I'd had more fun or been more relaxed. There was something about her that put me at ease but kept me on my toes at the same time. The darker it got though, I knew this time would have to come to an end.

"I should take you home," I pulled my seat up straight and ran my hands through my hair slowly. Jade groaned and squirmed around, still getting comfortable with her boots off.

"Not yet," She hid her face in the seat.

"Your parents will worry about you," I told her and she chuckled.

"Yeah right," She flipped onto her back and looked up at me. "They wouldn't notice me if I lit myself on fire right in front of them."

"Brandon will wonder where you are," I tried.

"He's probably playing a video game or out with friends or something," She sighed. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"What? No," I shook my head. "I just don't want you to get in trouble."

"And I," She pulled me down for a quick kiss. "Just want to say a bit longer."

"People don't say no to you very often do they?" I asked with a smile.

"No," She answered, but I sat up straight anyways. I knew her brother would want to know where she was, and it was too soon for people to get suspicious about us.

"We have to go," I said as I reached to turn the car on, only to find the keys absent from the ignition. "What the…," I turned to see Jade smirking and holding the keys in her hand. "Jade," I warned. "Give them to me."

"I'll give you your keys," She spoke seductively. "When you get on your knees." She glanced at the floor in front of her and in an instant I was there. I thought it was funny that she made it sound like a chore, when it was all I thought about doing recently. She giggled as we pulled off her jeans and underwear hastily, but stopped me to plant her lips on mine before leaning back in her seat.

I let my lips roam from her knee into the soft skin of her thighs, listening to her breath as it got heavier. I knew she wanted it to be quick, satisfying, but I couldn't get myself to speed up; I wanted to savor every second to think about later. She combed my hair back and moaned as I bit gently into her thigh, feeling the heat radiate off her body.

As I leaned forward to kiss her gently, I found she tasted even better than I'd imagined, and I couldn't resist sticking my tongue out for more. Her hips gyrated against me, and I had to grip her legs to keep her still while I worked my tongue in and around her, feeling her get wetter by the moment.

She started moaning louder and louder, making me even more excited than before, until finally she let go with a scream, her body shaking a bit after. I didn't stop licking her until her breathing was at a normal pace, her hands still combing my hair when I sat back.

"Oh my god," She sighed, staring up at the stars still. "That was…," She shook her head and didn't finish. "More," She sat up suddenly and leaned forward to kiss me. "Do it again."

"Wait, wait," I pulled back from her, remembering how this game had started. "Does this mean I get my keys back?"

* * *

_**More to come hopefully tomorrow : )**_

_**If you're interested, I might be doing some kind of raffle to give away a signed picture of Liz Gillies I got at her show? : )**_

_**Have a nice day!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hello! : )**_

* * *

**Beck's POV**

The next day had dragged on slowly, or so it seemed. After last night's escapade, I dropped Jade off at her house and went home alone. I'd thought about inviting her over, but ultimately decided it wasn't a good idea.

Jade and I were getting close fast and it scared me. I hadn't dated anyone seriously in years and the fact that she was so young terrified me. Not only could I get arrested, but I was basically handing my heart over to a sixteen year old girl, praying she wouldn't break it.

Remembering how immature I was at sixteen made me wonder if I should take things so seriously, but every time I looked at her, I couldn't help it. The sly wink she gave me during class gave me butterflies even though I tried to tell myself to take things slow. It was an uphill battle that I was losing.

"Beck!" I heard a woman call my name as I left my classroom at the end of the day. "Hey, Beck. Wait up." I turned to see Tiffany walking towards me.

"Hey," I hesitated when she got to me, scanning the crowd of kids for Jade. "What can I do for you?" I asked, hoping she'd keep this professional.

"You," She poked my chest playfully. "Can take me to that lunch you promised me," She said with a chuckle.

"Oh, right," I nodded and didn't argue the fact that I had never made that promise to her. "I would…," I shrugged. "But Eikner put me on detention detail today."

"Darn it," She pouted and sank a bit.

"Yeahhh," I feigned disappointment.

"Rain check?" She smiled.

"Sure," I nodded and started backing away. "See you around," I said and she waved excitedly as I left. The funny thing is, Tiffany was probably exactly my type; sweet, kind, outgoing. Only recently did I start to think my taste preferences had changed, of course. Now, I can't imagine ever being with anyone like Tiffany ever again.

I walked into the large classroom where detention was being held only to find it mostly empty. Less than ten kids fill the seats in a scattered fashion and were already doing homework like things.

"Mr. Oliver," Principal Eikner greeted me as I entered. "Looks like a calm bunch today," He noted.

"Great," I nodded and put my things on the head desk as I heard footsteps approach.

"May have spoken too soon," Eikner sighed and looked towards the door. "You're tardy Miss West," He told Jade the second she walked in. She crossed her arms over a sleeveless shirt with a skull on it and didn't seem fazed.

"What's the difference?" She shrugged. "Party doesn't start till I get here." She smirked at me before taking the desk right in front of mine.

"Be careful with that one," Eikner told me as if she couldn't hear him. "She's a handful."

"I will," I nodded and tried not to laugh as he left. I glanced up to see Jade containing a smile and biting her lip. This was going to be the weirdest detention period I'd ever been in.

.

.

.

Half an hour later, I bit my tongue at my earlier conclusion. Being in detention with Jade was worse than having her in my class. At least there, there were other students to focus on. Here, the students minded their own business and rarely looked up.

Which must have made Jade feel fearless. She keep blowing kisses and licking her lips, knowing I was watching. I caught her feeling herself up and almost gave myself a heart attacked. She only smiled and let her hands slide down to rub her jeans slowly. Her hand had just made it between her thighs when the door swung open and I choked on air.

I coughed vigorously and Jade's hand shot back up to her desk as Tiffany walked into the room; unexpected and slightly unwelcome. I was still coughing when we strolled over to my desk with a big smile, oblivious to the death stare Jade was giving her.

"Hi," I finally got enough air to say. "What—what's going on?" I asked.

"Hi!" She leaned in for a hug before I could stop her and I could see Jade's eyes go wide in rage. "Well, since you couldn't make it to our lunch date, I brought it to you," She laughed at her own genius and lifted a bag of food enticingly.

"Oh…wow," I stumbled to find words. I could feel the heat from Jade's eyes burning into me, but how would it look if I turned her down? She was smart, attractive, and I was supposed to be available. "Thanks," I ended up saying.

"No problem at all!" She waved it off and pulled up the nearest chair to sit beside me. "So I hope you like sushi," She said as she opened up a box with over a dozen different looking types.

"Uh, yeah," I nodded as my phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out to see Jade's single initial staring me down in the form of a text message.

"Great!" Tiffany said. "We also have shrimp tempura…," She kept talking while I checked my phone as discreetly as I could.

_"What the fuck is she doing here?!" Jade had asked._

_"Idk!" I replied,_ and fake smiled as Tiffany kept describing sushi rolls.

_"I want her gone," She replied. _

"_What am I supposed to do?" I tried._

_"I don't care! If she's not out of here in one minute, my legs are sealed shut for a month." _She threatened and I held back a way too dramatic gasp before a second message came. _"At least!"_

"And then of course there's the California Rolls," Tiffany finished off listing the food before us with another smile. "So what would you like?"

"You know," I put my phone down and put on my best sick expression. "I forgot, I'm actually allergic to fish."

"Oh no," Tiffany looked automatically worried. "What kind?"

"Uh…all kinds," I nodded, trying to look serious. "Baked, steamed, raw—especially raw. In fact," I stood up hastily; had it been a minute yet? "I'm already feeling a bit queasy just being around it. You should probably go."

"Oh—I," She barely had time to react as I picked up the food, handing it back to her and directing her towards the door simultaneously. "Well, I guess if you're not feeling well."

"I'm really not," I shook my head and practically shoved her out the door.

"Another time, then?" She said as she made it into the hallway.

"Yeah, for sure," I replied half heartedly and closed the door. I walked back and sat at the desk, shaking my head as I sighed. My phone vibrated and I checked it, not quite knowing what to expect.

_"Better."_ It read.

**Jade's POV**

"Where are we?" I asked for third time since we'd left Hollywood Arts.

"If I told you that," Beck replied, still sounding patient. "It would defeat the purpose of the blindfold."

"Can I have a hint?" I asked, as I reached up to try and peek through the cover he'd put over my eyes.

"No," He slapped my hand away lightly and held onto my arm. "Watch your step, there's gonna be stairs."

"Stairs?" I repeated. "Where the hell did you take me?" I questioned. He'd said it would be a good surprise, but I was tired of being in the dark; literally.

"Relax," He said as I climbed stair after stair. "We're almost there." He pulled my arm in one direction where we walked for a few moments before turning a corner and coming to a halt. I felt his hand reach to untie the blindfold and blinked my eyes open to see an old looking door with the number 12b written on it.

"You brought me to your drug dealer's apartment?" I guessed.

"What? No!" He moved to stand in front of me, holding up a key. "I live here."

"You live here," I repeated, understanding. He brought me to his place? It was kind of a lot to take in, I didn't think this would happen for awhile. I tried to look more pleased than surprised, but couldn't be sure how it came out.

"You're not happy," He tried to gage my reaction. "It's fine, it was a dumb idea. I'll take you home," He started to turn and I stopped him.

"No," I held his arm. "I'm just…surprised."

"Too soon?" He guessed, looking a bit sheepish.

"For most people," I nodded.

"For us?" He waited for my answer and I had to think about it. It didn't feel strange being here. Granted, I wasn't even inside yet, but still.

"For us…," I pulled him back to the door and smiled. "What took you so long?"

He grinned and unlocked the door, pushing it open and waiting for me to step in before him. I don't know what I expected, but I wasn't disappointed. It was a small space, maybe smaller than my whole room at home, yet he'd managed to fit everything someone would need.

There was a kitchen area that looked clean, a couch with a tv set in front of it, and a fairly large bed in one corner. He had all his books in a shelf almost as big as one side of the wall, and even had a small desk area near it. It was quaint, and somewhat perfect.

"So…?" He spoke and I turned around to see him leaning against the closed door looking a bit nervous.

"So," I nodded and leaned closer into him. "I like it."

"You're not just saying that?"

"No," I shook my head. "I really do."

"Good," He smiled. "Because I was thinking…no one from school knows where I live…and your brother's never even been here…,"

"So this is kind of like…holy ground for us," I finished.

"You could say that," He nodded. "But maybe we should keep words like 'holy' out of this relationship."

"You're the one who brings God into this," I pointed out as I backed away from him and hopped on his bed.

"Me? What do I do?"

"Does this sound familiar to you?" I laid back on his bed and arched my back dramatically. "'Oh God! Oh God! Oh Yes! God, yes!'" I mimicked his typical cries of pleasure and then burst out laughing.

"Fair enough," He looked slightly embarrassed, but more amused than anything. "You know…you look better on that bed than I could've ever imagined."

"Yeah?" I crossed my legs and sat up enough to stare at him.

"Yeah," He nodded and I wondered how he managed to look so gentle but sexual at the same time. It was pure talent.

"Maybe you should join me," I patted his bed beside me and tried to look alluring. "So we can find religion."

* * *

_**The end! For now!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**I just saw the new Romeo and Juliet**_

_**So I'm feeling a bit mushy ; p**_

**Beck's POV**

* * *

"Come, gentle night, come," Jade recited, reading from an old looking book in a wistful tone. "Come, loving, black browed night. Give me my—," I heard her pause before saying, "Do you mind?" to me.

"What?" I asked, innocently. I was minding my own business making us a dinner of macaroni and cheese in my small kitchen as she was doing her homework on my bed. I'd been waiting for the pasta to cook when she started practicing for our class' play; I couldn't help being distracted, she looked so cute laying on my bed reading in her underwear and one of my old t shirts.

"I can't focus with you staring at me like that," She said pointedly, sitting up again and crossing her legs.

"I'm gonna be staring at you when you audition," I reminded her that I was directing this play.

"Not like that," She pointed a finger at me accusingly.

"Like what?" I failed at containing my smile.

"Like you just had sex with me," She said, throwing one of my pillows at me for effect. "You're making it hard for me to get into character."

"Sorry," I backed down and resumed my cooking. I heard her flip through some pages before sighing.

"Great," She rolled her eyes. "You made me lose my place."

"Give me my Romeo," I reminded her, only getting me a dirty look. I couldn't help knowing this play, it's in every actor's arsenal.

"Give me my Romeo," She repeated, sounding the same as before; young and hopeful. "And when he shall die, cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night—you're doing it again!" She glared up at me, making me realize I'd been staring.

"Sorry!" I apologized again. "I can't help it, you're pretty good." She gave me another look before bringing her book to her eyes again, resigning to reading to herself. I left her alone this time, not bothering to go near her till I had her dinner in my hands.

"Study break?" I offered, holding a steaming bowl of macaroni and cheese near her enticingly.

"Mmm," She tossed her book aside and took the bowl from me, scooting over so I could sit with her on my bed. I waited to see her eat a few spoonfuls before digging in. This was the only real dish I could make that was edible.

"It's good?" I asked just in case she was faking for my satisfaction. She nodded, though, still chewing and I didn't push it. If she was lying, I didn't want to know. "Hey, where'd you get that book from?" I pointed to the old copy of Romeo and Juliet she'd brought with her.

"It was in my father's library," She shrugged. "I liked it more than the newer copies." She set her bowl down and leaned in a bit. "Were you serious when you said I was doing pretty well? Or were you just saying that?"

"I was serious," I nodded. I knew it was beyond biased for me to have to choose from her and her classmates, but she was legitimately good. "Hopefully, you get the part."

"Hopefully," She shrugged, and I appreciated that she didn't bother asking for special treatment. "So why Romeo and Juliet?" She asked.

"Why not?" I countered. "It's the ultimate love story."

"I guess," She shrugged.

"You don't like it?"

"I like the ending," She said with a mischievous smirk that made me laugh. "I just hate that the entire thing builds up this love like it's the greatest one that ever existed, only to kill them off. I mean, what's the point?"

"To tell a story," I tried explaining. "It's tragic, but the tragedy is part of what makes their love so legendary."

"No," She disagreed. "The tragedy happens years later when a bunch of stupid teens can't help but compare their love lives to this stupid story. And because they were killed off, Romeo and Juliet's love ended at it's peak. Nothing real is ever gonna come close."

"That's a bit cynical, don't you think?"

"Maybe," She shrugged. "But think about it, if they hadn't died, who's to say they would've lasted anyways? What if they lived and then Juliet found out Romeo was a pervert?"

"I guess I see your point," I conceded. I did get where she was coming from, but I couldn't help but think her point of view came from a bitter place. I wanted to know why, I just didn't know how to go about it. "Can I ask you a question?" I started, my voice dropping volume with my nerves.

"Sure," She nodded, but looked hesitant, slowly taking another spoonful of cheesy pasta.

"What happened…with you and Ryder Daniels?" I stepped into it cautiously, trying to gage her reaction. Her expression didn't leave much for me to inspect, though.

"Why do you ask?" She'd changed her tone too, to a more serious one.

"I'm just curious," I said honestly. "If you don't wanna talk about it, I—,"

"No," She interrupted me and stopped eating. "It's okay," She tucked some hair behind her ears, seeming a bit nervous now. "I don't mind…what do you wanna know?"

"Well…you said that you guys were together twice, right?" I recalled saying he was her serious relationship one and three. "What happened there?"

"A lot," She said vaguely. "Ryder and I broke up more times than I can count."

"Why?"

"Different reasons," She sighed. "He liked to push my buttons, and he was really good at it. He could get me to argue with him over the stupidest things," She shook her head and looked away from me. "He was always picking fights and I was dumb enough to fall for it every time."

"You're not dumb," I interjected, getting her to look back at me.

"Not anymore," She agreed then cleared her throat. "Last spring I found out he'd been cheating on me," She revealed and I felt a burst of anger towards that little pest.

"What did you do?" I leaned in.

"Well, first I was sad," She kept looking down and back. "And in my grief…I keyed his car."

"What?" I felt myself smile and chuckle. "You didn't!"

"I did," She finally stopped frowning. "And I might've taken out his headlights with a baseball bat."

"That's my girl," I let myself laugh at her antics, and noticed her slight blush when I called her mine.

"Anyways," She went on. "Once I was done being sad, I got mad…mostly at myself. It turns out he'd been fucking half the school behind my back."

"Oh, Jade," I grimaced sympathetically.

"I know," She shook her head. "But whatever, that's done with now. I'm over it, and I'm over him." I watched as she held her head high and smiled bright at me. I hated the fact that someone had hurt her so much, especially because she was young. No one should have to deal with poisonous love and high school at the same time.

I thought about her story for a second and wondered if I was doing her more harm than good. I would never cheat on her, but there were so many worse ways we could end. The end, though, was something I wasn't prepared to think about.

"So what about you?" She asked, clearing her throat.

"What about me?" I stacked our bowls when we finished and set them aside.

"Come on, Beck. You said you had girlfriends, right? Tell me about them."

"Mmm," I hesitated, not really sure that was something I wanted to think about either.

"At least tell me about the last one?" She requested and I couldn't say no. Not after she'd been honest with me about Ryder.

"Her name was Lisa," I started, hating this story. "We met our freshman year in college and broke up our senior year."

"That's all I get?" Jade looked dissatisfied and I knew I had to go on.

"There's not much else to say," I admitted. "We were happy for four years, I thought I was gonna marry her…but then a week before graduation she tells me she doesn't think it's gonna work out."

"Why?" She asked the same question I'd wondered miserably for a long time.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "She said she thought our lives were 'headed in different directions'," I recited her words. "And that we should 'cut ties before it's too late'."

"Ouch," Jade made a face. "That's not even a real reason."

"I know," I shrugged. "But hey, that's all in the past now, right?"

"Right."

* * *

_**: ) ?**_


End file.
